This month I have been … on nights a lot.

After my early morning tea and toast, and seeing Mrs Peeb off on her way, I always make for the news. Wether it’s online, radio or TV, I feel the need to know what I’ve missed whilst sleeping. More often than not, it’s very little — but sometimes I catch a story that makes me pay attention. This morning, my ears pricked up. I had heard that there was a mooted change to the benefits system coming into play soon, and hoped it would be the end to all my problems policing. The reason behind my interest in this matter is simple; the vast, vast, vast majority of people I arrest on a daily basis are claiming some sort of benefits. Gasp? But it’s the truth! I very recently gave chase to a female wanted for a large-scale public order incident, who was leaping over bushes and whatnot, only to later lead her into custody with her needing the assistance of a cane to walk. Now, the chase was not that prolonged — it turned out she claimed to have limited mobility without the cane, and was on a number of benefits to help her get along in life.

The new system, which I am behind at the moment, replaces most of the payments with one, limits the amount you can claim to £26,000 per family and if an individual refuses to work they can have their benefits removed for a maximum of three years. I doubt we’ll ever see the full three years; I imagine it to be more like the maximum sentences that can be handed out at court — rocking horse poo. But, having said all that, I do think it’s a step in the right direction.

On a similar note, I appear to be having more and more conversations with people I have arrested for racially motivated offences — assaults, damage and public order — and the underlying reasoning being that they believe that the targets of their offences are stealing the employment of the down-on-their-luck working class in my area. My look when they deliver this information is one of bewilderment and confusion. I usually offer to drive them to the job center after dealing with them in custody, or read one of the many leaflets they are handed on their exit from custody, but am met with slight variation on the same answer — “There aren’t any jobs I’m interested in.” Now, when this hypothetical job-stealing EU national was younger, do we think he dreamt of growing up, moving to a foreign country, and gutting chickens twelve hours a day for minimum wage? No, I don’t think he did. The reality of the situation is that many of the foreigners moving into the area I Police, are very honest, hardworking, respectful of Officers and will do the jobs that the ‘customers’ I deal with honestly believe are beneath them!

I sigh, drop the idiot off miles away from where he wanted to be and make him walk a good distance to sign on for the free money that week.

Note: Benefits are an important part of society to support those between jobs, genuinely too ill to work or who need their income supplementing. Those who have never been in employment, and do not want to be, should not be entitled to benefits — end of.